The present invention relates generally to a system for assisting in the recording, checking and packaging process for magnetic diskettes, which have become popularly known as "floppy disks." These diskettes are typically comprised of a flat plastic substrate coated with magnetic particles, most commonly available in the diameter size of 3 1/2 and 5 1/4 inches. The smaller size diskette is typically totally enclosed within a hard plastic outer shell, with a movable shutter for accessing the magnetic media. In the case of the larger diskette, it is held within a protective outer cover, wherein the cover has a radially-extending slot opening, for purposes of magnetically recording and reading information from the surface of the diskette. For purposes of this invention the term "diskette" should be construed to include, in the case of larger diskettes, not only the magnetially-recorded flat plastic substrate, but also the protective cover into which the magnetic substrate is inserted. The process of producing prerecorded diskettes includes an apparatus for magnetically prerecording information on the disk, and checking the prerecorded information for accuracy, and this apparatus is outside the scope of the present invention.
The invention particularly relates to subsequent steps in the process; namely, apparatus for receiving the prerecorded diskette, printing and applying an appropriate identifying label to the diskette, inserting the diskette into an envelope or sleeve, and depositing the diskette and sleeve into an appropriate output bin. The invention also contemplates a collator device for inserting separator cards between selected groups of prerecorded diskettes, for cases in which more than one diskette is intended to be combined into a single sales package. The invention also contemplates a rejection output bin for collecting prerecorded diskettes which have failed the test for accuracy of recording, wherein the rejected diskettes are ejected before the diskette is inserted into a sleeve.
In the past, the process steps which are accomplished by the present invention have been accomplished more or less independently, thereby complicating the overall production process, and leading to errors in magnetic recording and in handling the recording of multiple-diskette sets. The prerecording of information onto magnetic diskettes has been highly automated, and it is therefore desirable to provide an automated apparatus for receiving the prerecorded diskettes and for completing the steps required during the production process. The present invention accomplishes this purpose, while at the same time providing for automatic ejection of poorly prerecorded disks, prior to insertion into a sleeve.
A further advantage and feature of the present invention is to provide a packaged diskette wherein the diskette label may be printed with a serial number and other identifying information which has been magnetically recorded on the surface of the plastic substrate, thereby providing precise identity information on the label which corresponds identically with information prerecorded on the disk.
Another feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a subsystem for collating multiple diskettes into presorted groups; i.e., when the volume of information required to be prerecorded is such that multiple prerecorded disks must be used, the system will automatically insert collator cards to separate consecutive groups of prerecorded diskettes wherein each diskette in a group contains a portion of the overall group information.
The present invention may be combined with a plurality of similar devices, and operated in parallel arrangement under control of a central processor unit. In this case, the central processor unit may provide expanded memory facilities for prestoring an extremely large volume of information to be prerecorded on a variety of diskettes, and this information may be electrically coupled to a plurality of duplicator machines, each duplicator machine connected in association with a unit of the present invention.